Social StudiesThis content area page is for Social Studies. Check out some activities, reading information within Social Studies, resources, and ways to differentiate within this content area!
High Interest Activities:
Have students create a magazine cover for different historical figures/topics based on their knowledge. Magazine cover example
Have students research a historical figure or topic/theme currently being studied in class and create a Ted Talkabout their topic.
3. Instead of having students simply take notes on a chapter, have them create a Letterman "Top 10 List" of most important details from a chapter. Ex: "Top 10 Reasons Abraham Lincoln was the Best President." This can be done individually or with a group of students.
4. Create a class Constitution. Students will learn about the constitution, writing articles and create their own discipline plan for the year. See how one teacher develops a class constitution (and in turn, a community) through her 6 day breakdown of creating a class constitution. Classroom Constitution Lessons Reading Within the Content Area:
Reading Questis a website designed for social studies teachers who wish to more effectively engage their students with the content in their classes. Some of the things found while exploring this site are:
sound comprehension strategy instruction
directions for a range of comprehension and content reading strategies
printable handouts
resources
frameworks for classroom activities/strategies
This site also provides teachers the tools and framework to pick the correct strategy for the lesson a teacher is teaching. It is an incredibly realistic and user friendly website designed to simply help teachers be more effective in their social studies classroom.
The following PDF, while long, holds valuable information and lessons for any teacher looking to better understand how to incorporate effective reading strategies and activities in the Social Studies classroom. Here are just a few examples of the different topics covered:
Before, during and after reading strategies for non-fiction. This strategy makes non-fiction text seem less daunting.
Read-Talk-Write, or Read-Draw-Talk-Revise. Both of these strategies allow students to put information in their own words and reinforces the concepts they are reading about.
Reading and Writing Resource: This link provides a wide variety of resources for any teacher looking for extra ideas for reading and writing in the content area of Social Studies. Some of the things a teacher may find are:
Units of study
Assessments
Common Core Resources
Reading Resources
Writing Resources
While some of these resources may be more appropriate for younger students, they can be adapted for older students, as well.
Videos on Social Studies Literacy Instruction. This site provides many different videos of teachers applying various strategies and techniques to integrate literacy in the social studies classroom.
The Social Studies Resource Center: This website provides a variety of resources for all different learners. A teacher will find resources, strategies and information to help integrate literacy into the Social Studies classroom. There is a teacher zone, parent zone, technology zone and many links available, depending on what is needed.
Literacy and Life Resource for Teachers and Parents Education.com has free and for purchase resources for teachers and parents looking to develop their child's literacy. It is broken up into age groups (high school available as one category) and really targets what each age group needs in order to be successful.
Differentiation
The "snowball technique" is one way of scaffolding information so that all students feel successful in the classroom. Check out the video to see a full breakdown of how this technique might be implemented in a high school classroom.
2. Differentiate instruction by using the vast resources technology has to offer. By using a site like Dogo News, students are able to keep up to date on current events around the world, while reading at their instructional level. There are also videos to support many of the articles and allows students to process the information in more than one way and assist in their comprehension.
High Interest Activities:
3. Instead of having students simply take notes on a chapter, have them create a Letterman "Top 10 List" of most important details from a chapter. Ex: "Top 10 Reasons Abraham Lincoln was the Best President." This can be done individually or with a group of students.
4. Create a class Constitution. Students will learn about the constitution, writing articles and create their own discipline plan for the year. See how one teacher develops a class constitution (and in turn, a community) through her 6 day breakdown of creating a class constitution. Classroom Constitution Lessons
Reading Within the Content Area:
Reading Questis a website designed for social studies teachers who wish to more effectively engage their students with the content in their classes. Some of the things found while exploring this site are:
This site also provides teachers the tools and framework to pick the correct strategy for the lesson a teacher is teaching. It is an incredibly realistic and user friendly website designed to simply help teachers be more effective in their social studies classroom.
The following PDF, while long, holds valuable information and lessons for any teacher looking to better understand how to incorporate effective reading strategies and activities in the Social Studies classroom. Here are just a few examples of the different topics covered:
Resources
Reading and Writing Resource: This link provides a wide variety of resources for any teacher looking for extra ideas for reading and writing in the content area of Social Studies. Some of the things a teacher may find are:
While some of these resources may be more appropriate for younger students, they can be adapted for older students, as well.
Videos on Social Studies Literacy Instruction. This site provides many different videos of teachers applying various strategies and techniques to integrate literacy in the social studies classroom.
The Social Studies Resource Center: This website provides a variety of resources for all different learners. A teacher will find resources, strategies and information to help integrate literacy into the Social Studies classroom. There is a teacher zone, parent zone, technology zone and many links available, depending on what is needed.
Literacy and Life Resource for Teachers and Parents Education.com has free and for purchase resources for teachers and parents looking to develop their child's literacy. It is broken up into age groups (high school available as one category) and really targets what each age group needs in order to be successful.
Differentiation
2. Differentiate instruction by using the vast resources technology has to offer. By using a site like Dogo News, students are able to keep up to date on current events around the world, while reading at their instructional level. There are also videos to support many of the articles and allows students to process the information in more than one way and assist in their comprehension.